In the scientific care and treatment of hair, one of the properties which has been found significant in analyzing the condition of the hair is the tensile strength of the hair. Apparatus for measuring the tensile properties of human hair are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,921,443 and 4,061,022, both assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. These patents describe testing devices in which a strand of hair is clamped between two relatively moving posts. One post is driven at a constant velocity by a spring or motor, and the movement of the second post against the resistance of a calibrated spring is used to measure the tensile strength of the hair. These devices, while providing effective measurement of hair tension, are somewhat awkward to use, hair samples are not easily mounted, the measurement cycle times are relatively slow, and the requirement that both posts must move results in a complex and costly mechanical device.